Boyfriend By Mistake Read online

  He reached across the table, his touch hesitant. “I know that, Lissa. I just…I had to give the police any and all information.”

  She pulled her hand away, though her nerves zinged at his touch. “You need to stop calling me Lissa. My name is Alissa.”

  “Liss—” He cut himself off, pure resignation on his face. “Can I call you when I get to Miami and know more?” He stood up and picked up his coffee. “I really don’t think you did it. I don’t want this to come between us.”

  She stood up too. She wasn’t even sure there was an “us,” but she knew she’d wanted there to be. She hadn’t wanted to admit it, but the truth had a way of burning through her whether she acknowledged it or not.

  “Sure, call me,” she said, because she didn’t want to lose him. And she did need to know how the investigation went as the police searched for who’d vandalized the high rise. “I’d love to stay up-to-date on the investigation.”

  “Lissa.” He shook his head. “Sorry, I just can’t do it. I can’t call you Alissa. That’s not who you are to me.” He took a step toward her, crowding into her personal space. A smile finally touched that mouth, and he leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. Nothing like what they’d done the night before.

  Mere hours ago, actually.

  “I’ll call you,” he said. “My flight leaves in a couple of hours, and it’s murder getting off this island.”

  She couldn’t help smiling at the joke, though it was an old one and she’d normally roll her eyes. After stepping back, she let Shawn move past her. Watching him walk to the exit was an exquisite form of torture, and just when he was about to leave, she called, “Shawn?”

  He turned back, his eyebrows up.

  “Where are the keys to the motorcycle?” she asked, striding forward. “I’ll work on it while you’re gone.”

  Hope brightened his eyes, and he said, “I left them at Bo’s. He doesn’t lock his doors.” He kissed her again, lingering a little longer this time, and then he left.

  Alissa stepped out onto the sidewalk and watched the morning crowd swallow him, hoping he really would come back for the motorcycle parade in just one week. And boy, she had a lot to do before then if they were going to ride that bike together and be able to hold their heads high afterward.

  A few hours later, with the bakery cases full and Shawn surely off the island, Alissa walked through the expansive lobby and down the hall toward her sister’s office. Olympia lived on the top floor of the inn, only renting out the other suite up there to extreme high rollers for an exorbitant amount of money.

  She stepped into the administrative offices, but Olympia’s usual secretary wasn’t there. Only the Heartwood sisters worked seven days a week, so Alissa stepped past the usual gatekeeper and knocked on her sister’s door.

  “It’s Lissa,” she said, startling at her own use of the nickname she hadn’t called herself in so long.

  “Come in,” Olympia called from within the depths of the office. Alissa pushed into the space, and Olympia looked up from something on her desk. “Morning, Alissa.” She seemed perfectly pleasant this morning, and Alissa wondered what had truly set her off yesterday. It couldn’t have been Alissa holding hands with Shawn.

  “Hey.” She sank into one of the plush chairs in front of the desk.

  Olympia closed the folder and set it aside. She wore jeans today, with a cute red peasant shirt. That was about as casual as she got, and Alissa nodded to the shirt. “I like your shirt.”

  “Thanks.” Her sister sat behind the desk. “Are you dating Shawn Newman again?”

  “Sort of,” Alissa said.

  Olympia smiled and scoffed at the same time. “Come on, sis.”

  “I guess I would say we’re dating,” she said. “It just sort of happened by mistake.”

  Olympia’s eyebrows vented down and then lifted. “So he’s your boyfriend by mistake.”

  “Right,” Alissa said. “Has anyone from the police come to talk to you?”

  “The police?” Alarm entered her face. “Why would the police come talk to me?”

  Alissa told her about the vandalism at the high rise, and everything else Shawn had told her. She ended with, “So he went back to Miami to see what his firm is going to do. He said he’d call me when he had more information.”

  Olympia remained thoughtful for a few moments. “The only one I can see who might even do this is Gwen.”

  “O,” Alissa said. “No way. Gwen acts tough, because she’s got all those meathead chefs trying to railroad her.” She shook her head, shocked her sister would think Gwen could break into private property and deface it. “She didn’t do this.”

  “We wouldn’t sell to them.”

  “And Gwen didn’t even know the offer was on the table. Only we did.” She pointed between herself and Olympia. “I didn’t do it. Did you?”

  “Of course not.”

  “And I’m pretty sure Granny wasn’t out in the middle of the night with a can of spray paint.”

  Their eyes met, and Olympia chuckled. Alissa did too, and soon enough they were both laughing hard.

  Olympia finally took a big breath and wiped her eyes. She was always put together so perfectly, but Alissa knew she carried a heavy load for their family. “Okay,” she said. “So I’ll have to deal with the police. Did Shawn tell you what the vandalism was?”

  “He didn’t say anything about it,” she said. “It wouldn’t look good for us if we knew, right?”

  “Yeah.” Olympia looked at her phone as it flashed. “I can’t believe you’re dating him again.”

  “I can’t either,” Alissa said honestly. “It’s kind of surreal. I liked him so much in high school, and I was devastated when he dumped me for Marcy Myers.”

  “I know you were, sis.” Olympia smiled at her. “Mom and Dad were planning an intervention.”

  Alissa wanted to roll her eyes. Instead, she felt the love of her family stemming back decades. It filled her, and she stood up so she could escape in case the tears made an appearance. “All right,” she practically sighed. “All this evening activity has exhausted me. I’m going to go let the dogs out and take a nap.”

  “Lucky,” Olympia said. “Keep your phone on. If the police call me, I want you here for the interview.”

  “Okay.” Alissa opened the door and left, glad she’d finally admitted to one person that Shawn was her boyfriend—even if it had happened by mistake.

  Outside, the sun baked the island, which was fine with Alissa when she wore a bikini and had something cold to sip. But walking home along the beach in the summer heat wasn’t her idea of a good time.

  Once in the coolness of her house, she texted Shawn. Hope you arrived safely. Call me when you can. She put a heart emoji on, and then took it off.

  She wasn’t in love with him.

  “I hope he comes back,” she said to Dodger, and she wondered if she could add that to the text before she sent it. Trying to avoid appearing desperate, she sent the text as-is and climbed into bed.

  No alarm needed today, as she was once again back to her quiet, boring afternoons and evenings with only herself for company.

  Yes, Shawn had definitely made Alissa’s life more interesting, and she put up one more plea that he would come back to Carter’s Cove. Why she was so worried about it, she didn’t know.

  “Please,” she whispered. “Let him come back to the island…to stay for good.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Shawn waited until everyone else had deplaned before he stood up and collected his carryon luggage. He didn’t want to be here in Miami, and he prolonged the moment as long as possible.

  But he couldn’t stay on the plane, so he got off, nodding to the flight attendants as he did. He’d almost forgotten where he parked or what his car looked like. He’d almost forgotten the way from the airport to his apartment, and he almost forgot which floor he lived on.

  He found his way home, though, and he stood just inside the closed door, a si
gh leaking from his lips.

  Jason would expect him within an hour, but Shawn didn’t want to wear his rumpled suit he’d found wadded up in the corner of his suitcase and tried to steam all the wrinkles out of with an appliance that barely worked.

  He hadn’t showered this morning, as Bo had been in when Shawn needed to leave. He hadn’t been back to sleep since the phone call at two a.m. and exhaustion rolled through his shoulders.

  A hot shower would perk him up, and Shawn left his suitcase by the door as he headed for the bathroom.

  Half an hour later, he knotted a fresh tie around his throat, grabbed his wallet from the kitchen counter, and headed out again.

  Jason’s secretary stood when Shawn got off the elevator, and he was surprised to see the woman in the office on a weekend. “He’s waiting for you.”

  “Thanks, Helen.” Shawn gave her a smile, though dread filled his stomach. He opened the door and entered the office. “Jason.” He strode forward and shook Jason’s hand, nervous now that he was face-to-face with his boss.

  “Any updates?”

  Shawn wasn’t sure how he was supposed to get updates while he was twenty thousand feet in the air. “Nope,” he said. “You know everything I know.”

  “I know a bit more,” Jason said, his tone bordering on arrogance. “Hunter was on the island with you.”

  Shawn didn’t know what to say. He managed to stumble over to one of the plush chairs in front of Jason’s desk and sit down. “You sent Hunter after me?”

  “Of course not,” Jason said, his features hardening. “You’re my best guy, Shawn, you know that. Yesterday afternoon, when we got your report, he suggested he go to the island to talk to Barbara and Rich Saddler, because you said they had land we might be able to get.” He rounded the desk and sat in the chair beside Shawn.

  “It was a good alternative, and you were starting your vacation.” Jason shrugged. “The Saddlers said no too.” He threw up both hands as if to say, So that’s that.

  “Do we think it was the Saddlers who did the vandalism?” Shawn asked, thinking of the spray painted heart on the exterior door.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “Hunter’s on his way back here too, and we’re going to let the local police handle it.”

  Shawn wanted to text Lissa right now and let her know, but by some strange will, he didn’t reach for his phone. “And the project?”

  Jason sighed. “I honestly don’t know about that either. There’s no way it can be what we storyboarded, and I’ve got a call out to the Hilde Group. They might not even be interested if all they have is a hotel crammed on an island with dozens of other hotels.”

  Carter’s Cove was so much more than that, but Shawn didn’t say anything.

  “So.” Jason groaned as he got up. “I’ve got two more properties for you to look at now that you’re back.” He collected a couple of folders from the corner of the desk and extended them to Shawn.

  Dumbfounded and unsure of what to do, he took them. He didn’t flip through them like he normally would have, because he didn’t care about the properties inside. He didn’t want to go back to business as usual, because after only five days, he didn’t care about this business anymore.

  He wanted to return to the island, the woman, and the easiness of the beach. Of course, he’d need a job there, but jobs weren’t in short supply on Carter’s Cove. Every business needed more help, especially during tourist season, and Shawn had plenty of money saved from his years in the suits, the corner office, the real estate developing.

  Back in his own office, he sat at his desk, a place he used to be so comfortable. Now, it just felt like the wrong place to be. He was wearing the wrong clothes, and he lived in the wrong city.

  He pulled out his phone and called Lissa, but the line just rang and rang. Frustrated, he didn’t leave a message when her recorded voice came on the line.

  Sighing, he stood up and moved over to the window. He used to love this view, but now it was of the wrong beach. Determined to go back to Carter’s Cove and be with Lissa, he turned, almost tripping over his own feet at the sight of Hunter in the doorway.

  “Back already?” Shawn asked. He had no problem with Hunter, other than the man acted like the smartest in the room no matter what was being discussed. Sometimes arrogance like that could take a person far, but Shawn thought Hunter could dial it down a notch or two.

  “Yeah.” Hunter closed the door behind him and moved toward the chairs in front of Shawn’s desk.

  “I was just leaving,” he said, not wanting to entertain his co-worker right now.

  “Where are you going?” He tapped the folders Shawn had thrown on his desk.

  “It’s Saturday,” Shawn said, dodging the question. “And I was supposed to have the next two weeks off.”

  “Hm.” Hunter sat down, obviously not going anywhere. “Shame what happened to that hotel on Carter’s Cove.” But he didn’t sound like he felt bad about it.

  Shawn sat down, narrowing his eyes at Hunter. “What did the Saddlers say?”

  “About what I expect the Heartwoods did.” Hunter gave him a cold smile. “But they’ll be battling each other now.”

  Shawn cocked his head, trying to hear more than what Hunter had said. “The families on that island are very loyal. They have deep roots. I told you that.”

  “You said money would uproot anything.”

  “I said almost anything,” Shawn shot back. Embarrassment filled him that he’d once thought that. There were so many more important things than money. How had he allowed himself to forget that?

  “Well, we’ll see what happens next.”

  “What do you mean?” Shawn stood up as Hunter did.

  “I mean, the Heartwoods are suing the Saddlers for vandalism.”

  “What? It wasn’t even their hotel that was hit.” If anyone had a legal complaint, it was the Tremmel Group, and Jason wouldn’t do that. Not for a few scrawled letters in red paint. He’d clean it up and move forward. Hire a guard to watch the building.

  “The heart on the back door…I guess Olympia Heartwood took offense to that. Said the Saddlers were trying to frame them. It’s gotten ugly there. Glad I got out when I did.”

  Shawn had only left that morning. Could things have really gone downhill so fast? He clenched his teeth, because he didn’t want to say anything else in front of Hunter.

  “I need to go,” he said, his voice tight.

  “Yeah, go.” Hunter walked toward the door. “And if you talk to your girlfriend, tell her I said hi.” He flashed a monster smile and walked out, leaving Shawn frozen behind his desk.

  If he talked to Lissa?

  And how did Hunter know he was dating her? If he’d only been on the island since last night, he wouldn’t have had any way of knowing. And why would Hunter be talking to her at all?

  “Come on,” he said as he pulled out his phone and jabbed at Lissa’s name on the screen. “Answer the phone, Liss.”

  But she didn’t, and Shawn barked a message onto her voicemail. “Can you please call me back as soon as possible?”

  He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he knew he didn’t have to work today. He fled the building in favor of his apartment several streets over, and still Lissa didn’t call him back. She could be as stubborn as the day was long, and Shawn remembered the way she’d let him kiss her for half a heartbeat before shoving him away.

  That was all her stubbornness right there, and he hoped just like in that instance, she just needed some time to come around. Then she’d call, and he’d find out what was going on and how he could help.

  Let me know what I can do, he texted as he rode the elevator up to his place. He’d stepped inside, a sigh falling from his lips, when a woman said, “There you are. My father said you’d be back today.”

  “Lauren.” Shawn froze with the door open still. “What are you doing here?”

  “Well, Seth’s busy this weekend.” She smiled flirtatiously as she prowled toward him. “I thought ma
ybe we could talk. Get coffee.”

  Shawn didn’t want to talk or get coffee. “I’m seeing someone else,” he said.

  “That’s okay,” Lauren purred. “So am I.”

  He shook his head. “No, Lauren. This is serious.” As soon as he said it, he realized how serious about Lissa he was.

  “Please, that blonde from the beach? You’ve known her what? Five days?”

  “We—how did you know she was blonde?”

  “Oh, Hunter sent me a picture.” She waved her hand as if that was a stupid question. “You know she’s a shrimp boat captain, right?” Lauren made a face that only threw gasoline on the simmering fire in Shawn’s stomach.

  “Hunter sent you a picture?” he asked. “When?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Let me see your phone.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Why do you care?” She pulled out her device and started scrolling on it.

  “I just do.”

  “Wednesday night,” she said, turning the phone toward him. “You two look so cozy together.”

  Shawn stared at the image of him and Lissa as they walked down the streets of the food and wine festival, their hands intertwined, and her dogs with them.

  Lauren scoffed as she turned the phone toward herself again. “I don’t care about her, Shawn.” She put both hands on his chest. “We’re good together while you’re here in Miami. And when you’re not…I have Seth.”

  Shawn wasn’t going to split his life like that. Didn’t even want to. “Hunter was on the island on Wednesday,” he mused. “Did your father know?”

  “Of course,” Lauren said. “He sent Hunter the moment you called and said the Heartwoods wouldn’t be selling.” She backed up a couple of steps. “I don’t even think you’re listening to me.”

  Shawn’s brain whirred as he realized several things. Jason didn’t trust him. Hunter had been spying on him. He hated both of those things, and he didn’t want to be here.

  “I have to go,” he said, telling her the same thing he’d told Hunter. “Let yourself out.”

  “Shawn.”

  “Lauren,” he said. “We’re over. I’m not interested in anything you said.” He glared at her. “Just go.”